What are the challenges facing farmers in the north, how does it compare to southern farmers and how do we turn Swords into Scythes?

The northern and southern agricultural landscapes of Israel are vastly different in several ways. First, let’s consider the type of settlements where the farms are located. The south is populated with more Moshavim (villages) than Kibbutzim. Same as in the north, but the total number of Moshavim and Kibbutzim in the north is much higher than in the south. This is significant because while in the south there is much more room for field crops, the north is more developed and has less available space for agriculture; therefore, they have more tree bearing fruit than wide-open field crops. This in and of itself is an important distinction, because it means that when space is limited the impact of a destructive force (missiles, bombardment etc.) is much more evident. Additionally, while in the south, IDF forces could choose where they wanted to camp, in the north, the dense terrain allowed for limited opportunities therefore, if a field or an orchard had to be overrun, it was. Given this, it can be argued that the shelling in the north created more agricultural destruction than in the south.

Next, we must consider what types of produce were impacted. The main production in northern Israel is apples, pears, avocado, mango, cherries and citrus. In the south, it is primarily citrus and some avocado. Therefore, we can expect more destruction of fruit bearing trees in the north than in the south. This leads to needing a tremendous recovery program. While field crops have an average growing cycle of 90 days from seed to vegetable, for trees, it is much longer. Tending to trees is much more expensive and seasonality of fruit allows only for a specific revenue cycle for the farmer. Income is generated mostly in the summer/fall months while with field crops profits are year-round. In addition, according to the Jewish Halacha of Orla, one cannot market the crops for the first three years of the tree.

So, how does this affect the farmers? If a farmer in the north who based his livelihood on crops grown on trees and his orchard was destroyed partially or even completely, he now has to invest heavily in recovery of his orchard with the expectation of his first income coming only after three years. How will he survive IF (and that’s a big IF) he goes back to working in agriculture and replanting his trees?

Now, some may argue that farmers can purchase trees that are 2-3 years old and then have a shorter waiting time for income, however, these “older” trees are much more expensive for the farmer to purchase.

We at Leket Israel are providing farmers with support through volunteers, purchase of fresh produce and recently, we were awarded a $1.3 million grant for farmers in the north. This is a grant that will assist 200-250 farmers with an average loan of $40,000. Support? Definitely. Resolution? Far from it.

Hoping for better times ahead and the immediate return of all hostages.